Communist Party of India (Marxist) general-secretary and former Jawaharlal Nehru University, Students’ Union president Sitaram Yechury on Monday said that there was no way the Central government will come out with the truth regarding Najeeb’s whereabouts unless it was pressurised through democratic means by the students.
Mr. Yechury was addressing JNU students at Jantar Mantar, where they gathered for a public meeting after carrying out a protest march that started from Mandi House.
“The government owes JNU and the people at large an explanation as to how a student studying at a Central university can go missing from campus. I met the President today [on Monday] and apprised him of the situation. I urge you to meet and tell him that his intervention is needed,” Mr. Yechury told students.
Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees also participated in the citizen’s rally and the meeting that followed.
Meanwhile, JNU Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar finally called on the Delhi Police Commissioner and other senior officers to express the university community’s anguish over the missing student. He appealed to them to expedite and strengthen the search for the Najeeb.
The police said they had taken several steps to find Najeeb, including increasing the reward amount for information leading to his whereabouts from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh. The police added that apart from the Special Investigation Team, over a dozen other police teams had been dispatched to different locations.
Posters containing details and photograph of Najeeb have been pasted at bus stands, railway stations, mosques and dargah in Delhi and nearby areas, the police said.
Students from Delhi University, Aligarh Muslim University, University of Hyderabad, Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University joined the JNU students and marched in solidarity with the #BringBackNajeeb campaign as well as in protest against the rise of “fascist forces” on campuses across the country that do not allow free speech and space for dissent.
Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja also spoke at the solidarity meet. Stating that it has been 10 days since Najeeb went missing, he said the university, instead of acting fast, failed to act at all. Mr. Raja said all central universities remain so tense today due to the rise of the RSS and ABVP since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.
“The ABVP and RSS ideology is sectarian, divisive and fascist. We have to fight these forces and ensure that our country and campuses remain democratic,” Mr. Raja said.
Former JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga said the students will continue to protest and seek answers until Najeeb is safely back on campus and the students who perpetrated violence and were named in the eyewitness accounts are not punished.
The JNUSU also said that it would lead delegations to the Delhi Chief Minster as well as the National Commission for Minorities.
The government owes JNU and the people at large an explanation as to how a student studying at a Central university can go missing from campus...
